The underdog had vanquished another playoff foe. Get a good, long look, he was saying. Baltimore is the team to beat.

Frozen, heartbroken Broncos fans walked away from the flexing, boasting Rice. The sight of him camped out victorious in their house, after they'd expected Peyton Manning and that No. 1 seed to take Denver to glory, was too much.

"We're staying in the offense," Rice said. "We're doing what we do and going out and executing it. It's what (Caldwell) did all those years with Peyton (when both were in Indy), and we're doing it here. You see Joe has been playing better, and so has the offensive line. We all are."

Conversely, Manning's magical season ended with a Brett Favre-like finish, Corey Graham picking off an ill-advised throw in the first overtime period as Manning's health seemingly betrayed him with each degree drop in temperature.

The parallels can't be overlooked.

Both future Hall of Fame quarterbacks put together stunning seasons after leaving franchises they'd spent their careers uplifting, only to slip at the moment when they were set to build on their legacies.

The intermediate passing attempt fell in line with the throws Manning had been making throughout the game. He didn't go vertical. The lack of deep attempts spawned questions about whether the cold weather bothered the nerves in Manning's neck -- which hadn't seemed to be an issue during his MVP-caliber season.

Whether that was the case or not, Manning still threw 43 times for 290 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions -- both of which went to Graham, who notched a pick-six in the first quarter.

Graham said that the Ravens' defensive backs became more brazen as the game went on, since they weren't being challenged deep. As the possessions grew increasingly important, it seemed as if Denver was more intent on moving the chains than taking chances.

While we're left to wonder about Manning's ability to make plays in freezing temperatures, one member of the Ravens said a schematic ploy might have made the quarterback reluctant to pull the trigger downfield.

Baltimore had safety Ed Reed -- who has four career picks against Manning, including three in the postseason -- play center field nearly the whole game. We barely heard Reed's name called -- in part because he was lurking deep, tempting Manning.

"Peyton made plays," Rice said. "It's not all about making a lot of plays. It's about who makes the last play."